Device for applying glue to the edges of plate-like workpieces, such as veneers or the like



Nov. 5, 1968 H. TORWEGGE 3,408,979

DEVICE FOR APPLYING GLUE TO THE EDGES OF PLATE-LIKE WORKPIECES, SUCH AS VENEERS OR THE LIKE Filed May 12, 1966 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 Fig: 7a

Inventor:

Ham/1- TORM/EGGE ATTYJ'.

Nov. 5, 1968 .TORWEGGE 3,408,979

DEVICE FOR APPLY GLUE TO THE EDGES OF PLATE-LIKE WORKPIECES, SUCH AS VENEERS OR THE LIKE Filed May 12, 1966 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 19b 15 25 r 8a A F '7 7 Q p1 P 15b 24 14 2a-- 9a 73 x 77 E A,

72a 12 12b '15 29 15:: a

In ven tor:

ATT/I.

1968 H. TORWEGGE 08,979

DEVICE FOR APPLYING GLUE TO THE EDGES OF PLATE-LIKE WORKPIECES. SUCH AS VENEERS OR THE LIKE Filed May 12, 1966 5 Sheets-Sheet 13 Inventor: HELP/UT 75R wE6=E United States Patent ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A device for applying glue or the like to the edges of plate-like workpieces of material such as veneer or the like. The device comp-rises a glue applying means and a sensing means on each side of the material and operatively connected with the glue applying means in such a way as to apply glue evenly to the edge of the said workpieces, even though irregularities exist along the surface of the workpiece.

Background of the invention In a known gluing device for applying glue to the edges of veneers gluing nozzles are provided which are rigidly mounted so that they can distribute the glue only along a straight line. This is a disadvantage in cases where glue is to be applied to edges other than straight edges, for example to irregular undulated edges of thin veneers.

Accordingly, it is the object of the present invention to provide a gluing device using a gluing nozzle automatically adjusting itself,,and thus the application of glue, to the varying contour of an edge to which the glue has to be applied.

According to the invention, in a device for applying glue to the edges of plate-like workpieces, particularly veneers or the like, by means of a nozzle, brush or the like glue applying means, sensing means are provided which are operatively connected with the glue applying means and adapted to sense at least one of the surfaces of the workpiece. Such sensing means may be constantly in sensing contact with the surface of the workpiece, thereby to transmit any surface irregularities to the glue applying means so that this is made to follow such surface irregularities and thus the edge to be glued.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, such sensing means are provided in the form of a pair of contact rollers supported by the free ends of rotatably mounted levers, one of which is preferably an angle lever, the two levers being rotatable about a common axis. At least one of the levers may be resiliently mounted so that the respective contact roller will be automatically urged r 0 against the surface of the workpiece.

Contact rollers arranged in this manner are interdependent in operation and adapted to securely guide a gluing nozzle or the like coupled therewith so as to exactly follow the run of an edge.

Brief description of the drawings FIG. 3 is a side evelational view of the gluing device,

with a thick straight veneer passing .therethrough; and. FIG. 4 is a top plan view of a machine for the tooling of veneer edges, incorporating the gluing device ;of the invention.

Description of specific embodiment With reference now to the drawings, to a. machine frame 9 (FIG. 4) an L-shaped angle 12 (FIGS. 1, 2,. and 3) is fixed which has an outwardly directed horizontal leg 12a and a vertical leg 12]) and which mounts a gluing device 10 including a gluing nozzle 11 for applying glue to the edges of veneers or the like; In the outerrregion of the horizontal leg 12a of the angle 12 a vertical screw 13 is arranged, whereas in the'upper region of its vert ical leg 12b an angle lever 15 rotatable about-a pivot 14 is mounted on a pin, bolt or the like.

The angle lever 15 has a verticalbearing leg 15a which on the level of the pivot 14 is provided with a lever arm 151) preferably extending outwardly (rearwardly) at right angles therefrom and having in its end portion a vertical bore 16 surrounding the screw 13 with large clearance.

On each side of the lever arm 1511 a helical compression spring 17 is arranged on the screw 13. The springs 17 are provided to hold the lever arm 15b of the angle lever 15 in a horizontal plane and parallel to the horizontal leg 12a of the angle 12 (mounting plane), that is, in the inoperative position and when a straight workpiece 18a, 18b is passing through the device (cf. FIGS. 2 and 3). The two springs 17 are so rated as to obtain an equilibrium of forces.

At the lower end of the ventical bearing leg 15a of the angle lever 15 a leg 15c extends at right angles therefrom toward the side of the veneer and is provived at its free end with a pin or the like mounting a contact roller 19a having a preferably convex contact surface over which the workpieces, such as the veneers 18a, 18b, will pass with their undersurfaces (cf. FIGS. l--3).

In the upper region of the bearing leg 15: a twoarmed lever 21 rotatable about a pivot 20 and extending in the inoperative position parallel to the leg 1500f the angle lever 15 is mounted on a pin, bolt or the like. On its lever arm on the side of the veneer, the lever 21 is provided with a pin or the like mounting a contact roller 19b adapted to be pressed against, and roll on, the upper surface of the veneer.

The rearward and preferably shorter lever arm of the lever 21 accommodates in its end portion a sliding block 22 receiving with large lateral clearance the shank of an eye bolt 23 provided with a nut 23a. By its bearing lug, the eye bolt 23 is pivotally mounted on a pivot 24 on the lever arm 15b of the angle lever 15. A helical compression spring 26 hearing, on the one hand, against the slide block 22 and, on the other hand, against a lug 25 bent at right angles from the lever arm 15b is disposed on the eye bolt 23. The rearward lever arm of the lever 21 is urged upwardly by the spring 26, whereby the forward lever arm is pressed with its contact roller 19b onto the upper surface of a passing veneer 18a, 18b (cf. FIGS. 1-3).

The spacings between the centers of the pivots 14 and 20 and the centers of the contact rollers 19a and 19b are identical. Exactly in the middle of this distance an eye bolt 28 is rotatably mounted on a pivot 27 fixed to the lever 21. The shank of the eye bolt 28 is sldably received in a slide block 29 arranged in the middle of the length of the leg of the angle lever 15 and serves as a rotatable bearing element. The gluing nozzle 11 is slidably mounted on the eye bolt 28 for infinitely variable vertical adjustment and can be fixed at any desired level by clamping means (not shown).

The described gluing device operates as follows:

When a veneer 18a, 18b to the longitudinal edge of which glue is to be applied, is introduced between the pair of contact rollers 19a, 19b of the gluing device 10 secured by the angle 12 to the machine frame 9 so as to be rotatable about the pivot 14, the contact rollers 19a and 19b will follow any unevenness or camber in the veneer. Dueto the fact that the two contact rollers 19a and 19b resiliently engaging the veneer 18a, 18b on both sides thereof as well as the gluing nozzle 11 arranged in the middle of the length of the eye bolt 28 are rotatable about the fixed pivot 14, the gluing nozzle 11 will be constantly maintained in the middle of the thickness of the veneer edge (cf. FIG. 1), whereby a uniform application of glue to the whole edge of the veneer is ensured.

In the case of a relatively thick veneer, such as the veneer 18b shown in FIG. 3, the upper contact roller 19b is lifted and the two-armed lever 21 carrying this contact roller 19b urged down onto the veneer by the helical compression spring 26 is rotated about the pivot 20, whereby the eye bolt 28 mounted on the lever 21 and supporting the glue nozzle 11 is pulled up. Since the spacing between the center of the contact roller 1% and the pivot 27 of the eye bolt 28 corresponds to the spacing between the pivot 27 and the pivot 20, the gluing nozzle 11 will be pulled up only by an amount corresponding to half the thickness of the veneer and thus adjusts itself to the middle of the thickness of the veneer.

In a modified embodiment (not illustrated), the gluing nozzle 11 may be arranged between two parallel twoarmed levers on a rod supported at both ends. Such two-armed levers would be mounted on a stationary upright at an infinitely variable distance from each other and connected by a compression spring fixed to their rearward lever arms and urging their forward lever arms provided with contact rollers toward each other.

The described gluing device for applying glue to edges of veneer or the like by means of a gluing nozzle stands out for simplicity in manufacture, assembly and operation. A particular advantage is to be seen in the fact that the gluing nozzle will be always directed to the middle of the thickness of the veneer irrespective of varying thicknesses or undulatory surfaces of the veneer.

Referring to FIG. 4, the machine frame 9 of the machine for the tooling of veneer edges supports two pairs of longitudinal beams 30a, 30b and 31a, 31b below which shafts 32 and 33 are supported carrying each a plurality of endless conveyor belts 34 and 35, respectively, arranged side by side and susceptible of being rotated by the shafts 32 and 33 for feeding plate-like workpieces in the direction indicated by an arrow. For driving the shafts 32 and 33 a synchromesh gear 36 is provided.

Between the two series of convoy belts 34 and 35 two lateral milling attachments 37 and 38 are arranged on the machine frame, by means of which the workpieces are machined previous to the gluing operation.

Whilst one side of the machine frame 9 is stationary, the other side thereof is displaceable by means of two parallel guide rails 39 transversely of the workpiece feed direction, thereby to adapt the machine to the width of the workpiece. For effecting the displacement of the guide rail 39 a pressure cylinder 40, 41 is provided on each side.

The invention may be embodied in otherspecific forms without departing from the spirit or essential characteristics thereof. The present embodiment is therefore to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive, the scope of the invention being indicated by the appended claims rather than by the foregoing description and all changes which come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are therefore intended to be embraced therein.

I claim:

1. A device for applying material such. as glue or the like to the edges of plate-shaped workpieces of material such as veneer or the like comprising:

(a) two levers pivotally mounted at a common pivot point and each having one arm extending in the direction of and on opposite sites of the workpiece,

(b) a roller mounted on said extending end-of each of said levers,

(0) means urging said rollers toward each other to contact both sides of the workpiece.

(d) nozzle means providing material to the edge of the workpiece moving between said rollers, and

(e) means linking said nozzle means to one of said extending levers to carry said nozzle means between said levers and to provide movement responsible to the movement of said rollers with respect to each other.

2. A device as defined in claim 1 wherein the said linking means includes a rod connectedto one of said extending arms and said nozzle means is slidable and lockable in a holder mounted on said rod.

3. A device as defined in claim 1 wherein the free end of one of said levers is supported by a spring of infinitely variable travel.

4. A device as defined in claim 1 wherein one of the said levers is an angle lever and the other lever is pivoted to the free end of said angle lever.

5. A device as defined in claim 4 wherein the free end of said pivoting lever resiliently bears on said angle lever.

6. A device as defined in claim 5 including a threaded bolt provided between the said free end of said one lever and said angle lever to adjust the spacing between said contact rollers.

7. A device as defined in claim 6 wherein a nut is screwed on said threaded bolt for the infinitely variable adjustment of said spacing between said contact rollers.

8. A device as defined in claim 6 wherein said lever arm projecting from said angle lever is supported by at least one spring to maintain a central position.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,342,158 9/1967 Bennett et al. 118-7 CHARLES A. WILLMUTH, Primary Examiner. JOHN P. MCINTOSH, Assistant Examiner. 

